World Bank ….

Social Development focuses on the need to “put people first” in development processes. Poverty is more than low income – it is also
about vulnerability, exclusion, unaccountable institutions, powerlessness, and exposure to violence. Social Development
promotes social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people, building cohesive and resilient societies, and making
institutions accessible and accountable to citizens.

Working with governments, communities, civil society, the private sector, and the marginalized, including persons with disabilities
and Indigenous Peoples, Social Development translates the complex relationship between societies and states into operations.
Empirical evidence and operational experience show that Social Development promotes economic growth and leads to better
interventions and a higher quality of life.

Last Updated: Apr 09, 2019

The World Bank’s work on Social Development brings voices of the poor and vulnerable into development processes by making
evidence-based policy and program contributions through:

 Undertaking timely social risk analysis, including poverty and social impact analyses

 Enhancing positive impacts, mitigating negative impacts, and managing social and political risks, including compliance with the
World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), including policies on Indigenous Peoples and involuntary resettlement

 Partnering with communities in rural and urban settings by transferring the control over development decisions and resources to
improve the delivery of basic services through the Community-Driven Development approach

 Deepening the understanding of Indigenous Peoples’ issues and needs, especially the interrelationship between cultural and
community resilience, and their lands, territories and natural resources

 Mainstreaming fragility and conflict sensitivity into analysis and operations, and adopting a violence prevention lens wherever high
rates of interpersonal violence jeopardize development

 Strengthening the resilience of communities and institutions to natural and human-induced shocks and changing climate trends

 Promoting gender-differentiated social and economic empowerment programs for youth and underprivileged groups

 Ensuring that World Bank-financed projects include persons with disabilities and incorporate disability inclusion

 Mainstreaming gender issues and ensuring that operations are gender-informed

 Expanding the evidence on exclusion based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)

 Strengthening the links and engagement between citizens and their governments and promoting accountable government
structures

ADB …

Why does ADB promote social development?

While hundreds of millions of people in Asia have benefited from economic growth, millions have been left behind and remain desperately poor. Social
development directly targets the poor for assistance and support. It helps people benefit from economic growth and access basic government services.
Social protection also provides a safety net for the poorest who have yet to gain from a country’s economic growth.

What kind of social development projects does ADB

support?
ADB supports social protection programs such as government pensions, cash assistance for poor families with children, and national health care
systems. In the Philippines, for example, more than four million poor households receive ADB-supported cash grants if they keep their children in
school and meet other conditions. Many infrastructure projects have strong social development components. As well as promoting growth, the Jamuna
Bridge project in Bangladesh gave more than 30 million people in the poorer western side access to the main transport and infrastructure network in
the east.

Inclusive business and migration

Another important aspect of social development involves bringing the power of the private sector to the task of directly helping the poor. This is done
through the promotion of inclusive business, which targets those on a low income with the dual purpose of making a profit while also helping the poor
by providing services they need or giving them jobs and other income-generating opportunities. Migration is a powerful contributor to economic and
social development. ADB works to maximize the benefits of migration and mobility while minimizing its risks and impacts.